Affirmative Practice and Alternative Sexual Orientations: Helping Clients Navigate the Coming Out Process

Those who differ from the dominant heterosexual ideal of exclusively other-sex attraction and intimacy encounter unique challenges, such as the coming out process, during which individuals with alternative sexual orientations must explore, define, and disclose their orientations in a way straight individuals need not. This article focuses on how clinicians can aid clients throughout the coming out process in a way that affirms the full range of sexual orientations. Following an overview of alternative sexual orientations and models of the coming out process, a case example is used to illustrate how clinicians can help clients address three challenges of coming out: overcoming internalized biases; clarifying their sexual orientation and identity; and making decisions about disclosure.     

Negotiating Control: From Recognizing a Need to Making a Decision to Apply for a Housing Adaptation

ABSTRACT

A housing adaptation (HA) can enable independent living in one's own home, but deciding to change the home environment can be a thought-provoking matter. The aim of this study was to explore the applicant's perspective and decision-making process when applying for an HA grant. Seventeen persons were interviewed about their application for such a grant, and the data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. The findings illustrated how the participants negotiated control in their everyday lives as they went from recognizing a need to then deciding to apply for an HA grant. Before coming to a decision, alternative solutions were considered and their expectations on the effect of having an HA were explored. This knowledge is useful for professionals and caregivers to help support people during the HA decision-making process.     

Role of Friendship,Trust, and Love in Strong Latino Marriages

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study focuses on the role that friendship, trust, and love play in the marriages of 25 Latino couples (50 individuals) who, through a semistructured interview, reported having strong marriages. Latino couples were interviewed using questions developed within the context of Latino culture. A model of how friendship, trust, and love contribute to strong marriages is proposed. Suggestions of how these findings can be used in marriage education are provided.     

The imprint of autocracy on immigrant political participation: Reluctance to participate or to disclosure?

The study investigates the relationship between premigration experiences with autocracy and immigrants' participation in politics in the host country. Using a survey of about 2000 immigrants in Quebec (Canada) interviewed over telephone or with an online questionnaire, it assesses two possible pathways regarding the effect of premigration with autocracy on participation in the host country politics. One pathway emphasizes a reluctance to participate where experiences with autocracy would hinder participation in the host country. The second pathway posits a reluctance to disclosure where experiences with autocracy leave immigrants with a lasting hesitation to reveal the extent of their participation. Our findings lend weak support for a reluctance to participate and instead suggest a reluctance to disclosure. These findings raise questions about our capacity to accurately portray the preferences and behaviours of immigrants, here those who experienced autocracy in the country of origin, and highlight the sensitivity of findings regarding immigrant integration to interview modes.     

Constructing Clean Dreams: Accounts,Future Selves,and Social and Structural Support as Desistance Work

This article investigates the discourse individuals use when talking about desisting from criminal offending. I analyze the links between offenders’ accounts of past negative behavior, their construction of their possible “clean” future selves, and the social and structural conditions in which they were raised and continue to be embedded. Applying Scott and Lyman's (1968) framework on accounts and Markus and Nurius's (1986) framework of possible selves to interview data with twenty‐eight criminal offenders, I illustrate how excuses for past behavior provide a way for people to distance themselves from their past selves in attempts to preserve or re‐create a possible self that is still worthy to be redeemed in the future. This discourse becomes one mechanism that motivates individuals to change their lives—but it can be short‐lived. The analysis highlights how limited structural opportunities influence individuals’ lifestyles and behaviors, how individuals approach the desistance process even in the face of structural deprivation, and how they attempt to sustain this desistance process.     

Research Synthesis: The Practice of Cognitive Interviewing

Cognitive interviewing has emerged as one of the more prominentmethods for identifying and correcting problems with surveyquestions. We define cognitive interviewing as the administrationof draft survey questions while collecting additional verbalinformation about the survey responses, which is used to evaluatethe quality of the response or to help determine whether thequestion is generating the information that its author intends.But beyond this general categorization, cognitive interviewingpotentially includes a variety of activities that may be basedon different assumptions about the type of data that are beingcollected and the role of the interviewer in that process. Thissynthesis reviews the range of current cognitive interviewingpractices, focusing on three considerations: (1) what are thedominant paradigms of cognitive interviewing—what is producedunder each, and what are their apparent advantages; (2) whatkey decisions about cognitive interview study design need tobe made once the general approach is selected (e.g., who shouldbe interviewed, how many interviews should be conducted, andhow should probes be selected), and what bases exist for makingthese decisions; and (3) how cognitive interviewing data shouldbe evaluated, and what standards of evidence exist for makingquestionnaire design decisions based on study findings. In consideringthese issues, we highlight where standards for best practicesare not clearly defined, and suggest broad areas worthy of additionalmethodological research.     

Factors affecting children's disclosure of secrets in an investigatory interview

The present study aimed to identify how children's understanding of the investigatory interview process influenced their disclosure of secrets. Forty‐four 6‐year‐ and 7‐year‐old children participated in the study. Four short stories were read to each child. The stories were about young children who witnessed an event (e.g. witnessing a person stealing a pizza) and were asked to keep the witnessed event secret, then they were interviewed by an authority figure (e.g. security guard) and asked repeatedly about what they had witnessed. After each story, a series of questions were asked that related to factors that might aid the disclosure of the secret. Three main factors were investigated: children's perception of the interviewer's knowledge of the incident; children's perception of the purpose of the interview; and children's understanding of the purpose of asking repeat questions. Results indicated that a child's perception of how much an interviewer appeared to know about a secret, and whether the child was repeatedly asked about the secret do influence a child's disclosure of a secret. However, there was no effect for the purpose of the interview. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Behind the Numbers: Talking Politics with Foreign-born Chinese Americans

This paper discusses results of in‐depth follow‐up interviews conducted with selected individuals of Chinese descent residing in Los Angeles and San Francisco who were previously chosen at random to participate in the 2000 and 2001 Pilot National Asian American Political Survey. A total of 15 male and female informants who had migrated from Taiwan, mainland China, and Hong Kong were interviewed in Mandarin Chinese. They were asked to compare the performance of the US Government with that of the government in their respective ethnic homeland. They were also asked to explain their reasons for supporting a certain US political party, ideology, and type of candidate. In addition, they commented on the state of political participation or the lack of it among Chinese Americans. Finally, they explained the complexity of their ethnic self‐identification and experiences of racial discrimination. Their responses were interpreted within the context of the historical formation of the Chinese American community as well as the summary results of the mass opinion survey. The results help dispel myths about Chinese Americans being politically indifferent and irrational. They help illuminate the possible relationships among ethnic identity, homeland politics, and political participation in the host land. They also provide exciting insights into improving the survey instrument for a majority immigrant and non‐Anglophone population.     

The Role of Technology on Young Adolescent Development: Implications for Policy, Research and Practice

This National Science Foundation funded qualitative study highlights unique features of adolescent technology use and its impact on the developmental maturational processes of early adolescence. One hundred twenty-eight 13- and 14-year-old students were interviewed about their information technology (IT) use. The most salient feature of the interview data is that the students perceived technology as integral to all aspects of their everyday life experience. In particular, they understood the necessity of using technology for the development of their cognitive/academic skills, and they spoke about the need to have technology skills for their future careers. They also seemed to understand how IT helped them develop psychosocially, especially in the areas of communication and relationship development. Throughout the interviews, these young adolescents expressed pleasure and pride in their self-reported high level of technoliteracy. Their voices can help expand our understanding of adolescent development in the digital age, and suggest implications for policy, practice, and research.     

The Role of Formal Education in the Rehabilitation of Persons with Chronic Schizophrenia

Rehabilitation services seek to address the various needs of persons with chronic schizophrenia but little attention has been paid to their participation in formal education. This study surveyed the educational needs of this population. It was hypothesised that these needs are often unmet and that their expression is influenced by an individual's history, expectations and knowledge in relation to education. A questionnaire was administered to 60 subjects in the context of a structured interview. Of the total sample, 26 individuals expressed an interest in further education but only two were currently participating in educational courses. Twelve individuals had recently enquired about further education. Analyses of the data revealed that expressed interest in education was significantly associated with an individual's background and age and with how they construed the associated benefits and difficulties. The implications of the findings for rehabilitation services are discussed.     

Individual Differences in Hand Movements During Deception

This article addresses the influence of 2 personality traits on making hand movements during deception, namely public self-consciousness and ability to control behavior. It was hypothesized that especially individuals with high public self-consciousness and individuals who are skilled in controlling their behavior would make fewer hand movements during deception compared to truth-telling. A total of 56 participants were interviewed twice; in one interview they told the truth and in the other interview they lied. Before the interviews the participants completed a personality inventory to measure their levels of public self-consciousness and ability to control their behavior. The results supported the hypotheses. Some implications of these findings are discussed.     

“People Want to Protect Themselves a Little Bit”: Emotions,Denial, and Social Movement Nonparticipation*

Emotions can be a source of information and an impetus for social action, but the desire to avoid unpleasant emotions and the need for emotion management can also prevent social movement participation. Ethnographic and interview data from a rural Norwegian community describes how people avoided thinking about climate change in part because doing so raised fears of ontological security, emotions of helplessness and guilt, and was a threat to individual and collective senses of identity. In contrast to existing studies that focus on the public's lack of information or concern about global warming as the basis for the lack of public response, my work describes the way in which holding information at a distance was an active strategy performed by individuals as part of emotion management. Following Evitar Zerubavel, I describe this process of collective avoiding as the social organization of denial. Emotions played a key role in denial, providing much of the reason why people preferred to avoid information. Emotion management was also a central aspect of the process of denial, which in this community was carried out through the use of a cultural stock of social narratives that were invoked to achieve “perspectival selectivity” and “selective interpretation.”     

The experience of trauma recovery: a qualitative study of participants in the Women Recovering from Abuse Program (WRAP)

The efficacy of intensive group treatment programs for child maltreatment has been established. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand how women with a history of child maltreatment experienced the Women Recovering from Abuse Program (WRAP), an existing intensive group treatment program. Seven women were interviewed following their participation in WRAP. Three themes emerged: Breaking Trauma-Based Patterns, Doing Therapy, and The Healing Journey as a Continuous Process. These findings deepen our understanding about how participants view the recovery process. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.     

Penny for Your Thoughts: Beggars and the Exercise of Morality in Daily Life1

Urban sociology has tended to study interactions between passersby and “street persons” with an emphasis on the ways street persons become bothersome, harassing, or dangerous. This article moves away from the focus on the ways interactions in public go awry and focuses on how individuals account for the mundane, everyday exchanges they have with strangers who seek their help. Based on interview data (N = 31) and qualitative analysis of data from an Internet survey (N = 110), this article suggests that the presence of beggars does not inherently symbolize urban decay to passersby and does not necessarily elicit anxiety, but instead provides a valuable texture of urban life. Further, the article argues that individuals, when justifying their responses to requests for help from needy persons (beggars) in urban spaces, use a variety of cultural strategies to maintain their perception of themselves as moral persons, both when they choose to help and when they refuse. Drawing from these findings, the article suggests that urban sociology and the sociology of risk would benefit from sensitizing their studies of public interactions to the diverse meanings individuals assign to them, rather than presupposing annoyance, anxiety, or fear as their predominant characteristic.     

The Experience of Trauma Recovery: A Qualitative Study of Participants in the Women Recovering from Abuse Program (WRAP)

ABSTRACT

The efficacy of intensive group treatment programs for child maltreatment has been established. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand how women with a history of child maltreatment experienced the Women Recovering from Abuse Program (WRAP), an existing intensive group treatment program. Seven women were interviewed following their participation in WRAP. Three themes emerged: Breaking Trauma-Based Patterns, Doing Therapy, and The Healing Journey as a Continuous Process. These findings deepen our understanding about how participants view the recovery process. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.     

The effect of the interview on the interviewee

This paper is concerned with the effects of participating in semistructured interviews on the interviewees. It is based on evidence supplied by young adult women who were interviewed a number of times and asked about their previous interviews. While most claimed to have little recall of these earlier events, they did remember them as interesting and/or enjoyable. This was because the interview focused on them with the guaranteed but detached interest of the interviewer. Informants' reflections on previous interviews showed that there was a range of impact on women's views from (a)recording information; (b)clarification of views; (c)review of position; and (d)discovery of something new. Beyond interviews interacting with the informant's views there is also evidence that some interviewees' actions outside the interview were influenced by their participation. The fact that interviews involve the interaction of participants is now recognized in a number of intellectual approaches but the variability of this has not been documented.     

Uncertainty and the lives of persons with AIDS

This article uses interview data to explore how 23 gay and bisexual men who had AIDS were affected by and managed uncertainty. Before diagnosis these individuals had to find ways to cope with uncertainty about their risk of contracting AIDS and about their initial symptoms. After diagnosis they had to find answers to their questions about why they contracted this disease, whether they would be able to function in the short run, whether their illness would kill them, and whether they would be allowed to live and (if death was unavoidable) to die with dignity. The data suggest that persons with AIDS respond to the uncertainties of their illness by attempting to assert as much control as possible over their lives, through such divergent strategies as seeking and avoiding knowledge about their illness.     

Insights from senior communicators: Navigating obstacles,leveraging opportunities,and leading teams to capitalize on data and analytics

While data, digital analytics, and technology have the possibility of further elevating public relations to a strategic function, many communicators cite barriers, including that many on their teams lack digital data and analytics competency. Researchers interviewed 28 senior-level communicators who have experience working with digital data and analytics. The study sought to examine how communicators are adapting to and leading teams in this data revolution by exploring two primary research questions: (1) What are the perceived opportunities and challenges with digital data and analytics? and (2) How can communicators create an environment to encourage discovery and innovation connected to digital data and analytics? Participants described the challenges of managing vast data streams and alignment, staying current with digital trends and technology, and dealing with the shortcoming of AI tools and algorithms. When asked about opportunities, participants described how communicators are uniquely positioned to align data and analytics efforts to help them understand audiences, foster mutually beneficial relationships with publics, and share stories with these publics and senior counsel that contribute to organizational objectives. Participants said they develop data competency among their communication teams by fostering a creative and curious culture, creating diverse teams, and championing employees. In summary, this study expands understanding of how communicators can evolve and lead in an increasingly data-driven world.     

Re-approaching interview data through qualitative secondary analysis: interviews with internet gamblers

ABSTRACT

This paper addresses two interrelated questions concerning what interview data are and how researchers might use them. The first considers the value of a shift from a predominant or exclusive focus upon how data are constructed and produced at interview, and towards how such data might be apprehended through different forms of engagement. The second question relates to how and what qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) might be used to tell about the social world. In exploring this, we advance a critique of the divide between primary and secondary analysis, recasting the debate in terms of different degrees and qualities of ‘proximity’ and ‘distance’ from the formative contexts of data generation, and the distinctive analytical affordances that relate to these. Using QSA of interview data from a study of problem internet gambling as an empirical crucible, we consider the kinds of participation that interviewees develop through reciprocal engagement with interviewers. We illustrate how participants reflexively negotiate the affordances and limits to the narratives through which they frame and recount their experiences. Finally, we show how interview data can be used both to speak of the temporal, relational, spatial, epistemic contexts of their production, and also to contexts and questions beyond these.